EAST BRIDGEWATER — The No. 25 Saugus girls basketball team’s journey ended in the Division 3 round of 32, as the Sachems (14-8) fell to No. 8 East Bridgewater, 68-42.
Despite bowing out of the bracket, coaches Taylor Bogdanski and Norma Waggett were pleased their players left it all on the court.
“Those girls worked so hard. Even being down, they’re going to play hard until the end and that’s all that really matters,” Bogdanski said. “We have some things to work on that we’re looking forward to, but we couldn’t be prouder of the way they worked tonight.”
“They worked so hard. All of their effort showed [and] they made it to the round of 32. I think we were favored to win… shots and calls didn’t go our way tonight – it happens,” Waggett said. “I thank all the seniors and look forward to next year.”
East Bridgewater got out to a strong start, while it took a few minutes for Saugus to find its offensive rhythm.
Despite Saugus’ Peyton DiBiasio scoring 20 points, the Lady Vikings did their best to get the ball out of her hands.
East Bridgewater Coach Stephen Moore talked about his players faceguarding DiBiasio wherever she went.
“Well, she’s that good of a player. We knew her ability, we saw a couple of films on them, and she can turn the game around,” Moore said. “She’s a good player.”
The Lady Vikings entered halftime with a 39-25 lead before going on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, putting a dent into Saugus’ chances of advancing.
East Bridgewater will face the winner of No. 9 Norton and No. 41 Lynn Classical. The teams play Friday evening at 6 p.m.
The Sachems have three seniors in Madison Botta, Ella Castle, and Deleidi. From Castle being an offensive threat, Deleidi knocking down shots to try and spur the momentum, and Botta finding second-chance points through steals and rebounds, the trio left it all on the court.
Botta, Castle, and Deleidi claimed three Northeastern Conference titles across their four years together.
Waggett and Bogdanski praised the seniors.
“They played varsity all four years,” Waggett said. “They have left huge shoes to fill. It’s going to be a big hole next year.”
That said, the Sachems return 11 players to next year’s team. Both coaches wanted to make it clear on Thursday — they want more.
“We’ve just got to work hard,” Waggett said. “If they keep working hard together and playing together, they’ll be a team to be reckoned with.”
“We’re hungry,” Bogdanski said.
